Comprehension of health-related written materials by older adults

Chiung Ju Liu, Susan Kemper, James A. Bovaird

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

15 Scopus citations

Abstract

This study examined how Flesch Reading Ease and text cohesion affect older adults' comprehension of common health texts. All older adults benefited when high Flesh Reading Ease was combined with high cohesion. Older adults with small working memories had more difficulty understanding texts high in Flesch Reading Ease. Additionally, older adults with low verbal ability or older than 77 years of age had difficulty understanding texts high in text cohesion but low in Flesch Reading Ease. These results imply that writers must increase Flesch Reading Ease without disrupting text cohesion to ensure comprehension of health-related texts.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)653-668
Number of pages16
JournalEducational Gerontology
Volume35
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2009
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Education
  • Geriatrics and Gerontology

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